Catawba Farm and Food Coalition

Catawba Indian Nation

Click here to edit title.

Policy and Planning

Guiding planning and policy change to support the development of a secure and sustainable
food system in Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster, Union, York Counties and the
Catawba Indian Nation.

What is a Food Policy Council?

By drawing on the knowledge and experience of people from
all segments of the local food system, a Food Policy Council becomes a source of
information for the policy makers in government. A council can also help government agencies
see how their actions affect the food
system.

No state or city has a “Department of Food,” but a food
policy council can take on

the essence of that role. It can look for those areas among government
agencies where food issues intersect. FPCs can also be a bridge between the public and private
sectors on food issues. And they can be a primary source of food education for the
citizens at large, addressing such topics as:

nutrition

food-related health issues

sustainable farming

equitable access to healthy food

economic development related to food

Another good answer for why food policy councils are
important: FPCs foster communication and
civic action at the grassroots. They’re a chance for people to shape, from the bottom up, the nature of a
system that can seem distant and bewildering,
even as it affects so much of their lives. Achieving food democracy and social
justice is a key part of any food policy council’s mission.

What is a Food System?

A community food system is a food system in which
food production, processing, distribution and consumption are integrated
to enhance the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health
of a particular place. A community food system can refer to a relatively
small area, such as a neighborhood, or progressively larger areas –
towns, cities, counties, regions, or bioregions. The concept of
community food systems is sometimes used interchangeably with “local” or
“regional” food systems, but by including the word “community” there is
an emphasis on strengthening existing (or developing new) relationships
among all components of the food system.

Four aspects distinguish community food systems from the globalized
food system that typifies the source of most food Americans eat: food
security, proximity, self-reliance and sustainability.

Food security is a key goal of community food systems. While food
security traditionally focuses on individual and household food needs,
community food security addresses food access within a community
context, especially for low-income households. It has a simultaneous
goal of developing local food systems.

Proximity refers to the distance between various components of the
food system. In community food systems such distances are generally
shorter than those in the dominant or global food system. This proximity
increases the likelihood that enduring relationships will form between
different stakeholders in the food system – farmers, processors,
retailers, restaurateurs, consumers, etc.

Self-reliance refers to the degree to which a community meets its
own food needs. While the aim of community food systems is not total
self-sufficiency (where all food is produced, processed, marketed and
consumed within a defined boundary), increasing the degree of
self-reliance for food, to be determined by a community partnership, is
an important aspect of a community food system.

Sustainability refers to following agricultural and food system
practices that do not compromise the ability of future generations to
meet their food needs. Sustainability includes land and environmental
protection, profitability, ethical treatment of food system workers, and
community development